Chapter 1
Jonah Landry elected to stay busy on the day his entire future hung in the balance. That’s why the axe was poised over his head when the death rattle of his sister’s Jeep Gladiator reached his ears.
Finally.
He swung the axe down, slicing into an upright log, and left it there. Then he grabbed his Henley shirt and headed up the slope of the resort’s wooded property. A carpet of pine needles padded his eager steps and a nattering squirrel cheered him on. He drew in a deep breath of crisp autumn air heavy with the smoky scent of last night’s bonfire.
His long strides made quick work of the distance. He pulled his shirt into place just as Meg stepped from her truck.
Her shoulder-length auburn waves glinted in the sunlight, and her pale skin was flushed from the trip to Portsmouth in her air-conditioning-free vehicle. “You know we have a log splitter, right? Or were you just hoping Lauren would catch a glimpse of your six-pack and start drooling?”
“It’s callednervous energy. Where is it?”
She gave him a blank stare. “Where is what?”
His heart might have stopped beating. It definitely seized in his chest for a long, panicked moment.
“Just kidding,” the little brat singsonged, smiling as if his whole future wasn’t on the line here.
He was just about to throttle her when she shoved a small cream-colored box at him. He grabbed it and withdrew a rich blue velvety box.
“You’re welcome. I had to park three blocks away and wait fifteen minutes while they—”
“Thank you.” The lid gave a quiet squawk as he opened it—and there it was, tucked into a soft blue nest. His irritation lifted like autumn fog off the lake.
Lauren had changed a lot in the six months since she’d come to work at Pinehaven Resort, but she still had a penchant for sparkly things. And the brilliant oval diamond dazzled.
Tonight he would take her out to eat at The Landing. Then they would go for a ride on the lake in the same boat where he’d professed his love for her a month ago. The memory of that moment sent a rush of heat through him. When she’d stared up at him, her heart in those beautiful eyes, he’d wondered if he’d died and gone to heaven. What had he ever done to deserve this beautiful, resilient woman?
The sound of Meg’s laughter pulled him from the sweet memory.
He scowled at the teasing sparkle in her eyes. “What?”
“You are such a goner.” She was still laughing.
He snapped the case closed, unable to work up any real irritation on today of all days. “Shut up.”
A few weeks ago he’d seen the ring in a display window in Portsmouth but knew a proposal was premature. Oh, he’d wanted to marry her. He’d known right away she was the one for him. Well, once he’d stopped hating her. But he hadn’t been sure Lauren was quite there yet.
Until two weeks ago when they’d sat in the gazebo at Bayview Park. Swaths of pink streaked the sky, a glowing stage for the sun’s final act of the day.
Her head rested on his shoulder and her hand lay on his chest. “I think I could stay here forever.”
It wasn’t often she was so open, so unguarded. He was careful not to overreact, though he couldn’t prevent the way his heart two-stepped in response. “In Pinehaven?”
She snuggled closer, burying her face in his chest, uncharacteristically shy. “In your arms.”
Jonah had called Garrett Jewelers the next day and purchased the ring.
“What are you wearing?”
His sister’s question snagged his attention. “I don’t know. Khakis and a button-down, I guess.”
Meg rolled her eyes, seeming more sixteen than twenty-one. “Wear the navy khakis with your camel oxfords and matching belt and the blue button-down—she likes the way it matches your eyes.”
“She does?”
“Don’t wear a blazer—she’ll be suspicious. You never wear a blazer.”
